12 August 2006

Yeah! O Traurigkeit is FIXED!!!!

Auf Deutsch, verse 2 read: "O grosser Not! Gott selbst ist tod!" - but up till now, the English has softened this to read: "Deep, deep the pain! God's Son is slain" (LW) or "O sorrow dread! God's Son is dead!" (TLH). But now LSB 448 offers for the first time auf Englisch the intent of the German: "O sorrow dread! Our God is dead." YES. For the one slain upon the tree is God Himself. And they get it also in verse 6: "O Virgin's Son, What Thou hast won Is far beyond all telling: How our God, detested, died, Hell and devil felling."

And while we're rejoicing in fixes, what about giving the LSB major kudos for putting the Eucharist BACK into "Wake, Awake!"? Nicholai spoke of answering the joyful call and all joining in the Abendmahl - the Lord's Supper - in verse 2. This shows up beautifully in LSB #516: "We enter all The wedding hall To eat the Supper at Thy call." Contrast this with TLH: "The joyful call we answer all and follow to the nuptial hall."

One thing that did not get fixed is the verse 4 of "Let All Together" (LSB #389) where the clear theosis of the original is still lacking in the English. But, hey, I'm rejoicing in the ones that DID get fixed and fixed well.

Must be a senior moment,,,,, what is the correct verse 4 of LSB #389 ? Too many referance books packed to check the original.

The WS of 1969 had three canon prayers: El Culto Christiano from LCMS work in Central America, 'Cambridge' from the Prayer Book of Edward VI with its delightful echoes of the Alexandrian influence on the Sarum Rite, and the Hippolytian Canon. From where you find yourself, which if any of these are in use in the parishes ?

My good friend, John Stephenson, in a paper he wrote for Bishop Schoene's festschrift observed:

"For behind the watered-down English translation which specifies Christ’s gift in exchange as “his realm, his glory, and his name” stands a German original which proclaims that, in His Father’s kingdom, our Lord bestows on us “die klare Gottheit”, that is, luminous divinity. A first-generation Lutheran here spoke not allusively, but explicitly, of ‘deification’. "

As to the Eucharistic prayers from WS, well, we've used them on occasion, but I'm not familiar with any other parish doing so here lately. Tis a pity in many ways that they have been all but lost, for all of them had some merit. The LSB in DS, settings I and II proposes a fuller solution than LCMS has had since the days of WS, and it works very well.

'his realm, his glory, and his name' compared to 'die klare Gottheit' hardly connotes the sweet swap now does it. British reserve does have its limitations doesn't it ? In any event there's always whiteout, sissors and paste.

I use the Canon from the Prayer Book of Edward VI consistently, and the more primitive Hippolytian Canon for penitential seasons. Do you have a link for what the LSB settings I and II are ? I have yet to navigate through the LSB site with any degree of success.Thanks.

Divine Service, Settings I and II, offer the following, after the Sanctus:

Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.

Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Verba follow, then:

As often as eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.People: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

Now, Fr. Hank, you know what I tend to use on Sundays? The Roman Canon. Only I don't use it as the Eucharistia (it truly is rather a poor Eucharistia!) but as the Prayer of the Church!!!

Thus on Sundays we usually pray:

+ THE PRAYER OF THE CHURCH +We come to You, Holy Father, with praise and thanksgiving, through Jesus Christ, Your Son. Through Him we ask You to accept and bless the prayers and gifts we offer. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Remember, Lord, Your holy church. Watch over her and guide her. Grant her peace and unity throughout the world. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Remember, Lord, all pastors and servants of the Church. Grant them to hold and teach the faith that comes to us from the apostles. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Remember, Lord, and bless our parish, day care, school and high school, as we give thanks to you for 150 years of Your faithfulness to our congregation. Lord, in your mercy, R.

Remember, Lord, our President, our public servants, and all in our armed forces. Guide, bless, protect and uphold them in honor. Bring all nations into the ways of peace and justice. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

In Your kindness and love, grant us seasonable weather and an abundance of the fruits of the earth. Lord, in your mercy, R.

Remember, Lord, all who suffer for Your name, all who are in prison, the hungry and ill-clad, the poor and the lonely, those who travel, and all who cry out to You in time of need, especially your servants: Nn... Take them under Your tender care and grant them a happy release from their afflictions. Lord, in your mercy, R.

Remember, Lord, all who are gathered here before You, our living and true God. We pray for our well-being and redemption. Grant us Your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those You have chosen. Though we are sinners we trust in Your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve but grant us Your forgiveness. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Holy Father, in communion with the whole Church we give You thanks for Your saints, in whom You have given us a mirror of Your mercy and grace. We praise You especially for the Virgin Mary, for Joseph her husband, for John the Baptist, Peter and Paul, and all Your martyrs. Give us grace to walk before you with faith like theirs and grant us some share in their heavenly fellowship. Lord, in Your mercy, R.

Pastor: Lord God, in Your unfailing mercy and love You have graciously given us the holy Supper of Your Son. As now we prepare to receive His Gifts, stir up our minds to the salutary remembrance of Your benefits and to true and unending thanksgiving. Aid us, Your ministers and Your people, that by this Mystery of the new and eternal Testament, we may recall how Your Son offered Himself upon the altar of the cross for us -- a Ransom pure, holy, and undefiled - so that, rejoicing in His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven, we may joyfully await His coming in glory. And we beg You to bless and sanctify by Your Holy Spirit the bread and wine we bring before You that they become for us, through our Savior’s Words, His true Body and Blood, the nourishment of eternal life. Grant that receiving them in faith, we may be filled with every grace and blessing, through Christ our Lord. Through Him and with Him and in Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit all glory and honor is Yours, almighty Father, forever and ever. Amen!

Is that a Novo Ordo translation or one prior,,,,, sounds much too literate for what Rome is currently passing off as English. Benedict is in the process of spiffing up all English language liturgical copy, so hope is on the way,,,,,,, hey, ya gotta love our German Shepherd.

1. ELHB (the predecessor to TLH) has the translation that LSB uses; in fact, I dare say, LSB took it from ELHB. (ELHB=Evangelical-Lutheran Hymn Book, the first English LCMS hymnal.)

2. Striking my usual note, 'tis a strange thing that we (whoever "we" are) may determine that what was good Prex Eucharistia for at least 1000 years is no longer. Strange, curious and, methinks, a bit arrogant. (Yes, three are pointing back at me concerning my own previous judgments in this regard.)

About the Roman canon, I suppose my comments were more than a tad arrogant. I do note, nonetheless, that compared with the Eastern anaphorae I can't help but think that the Roman canon comes up wanting. More like a series of collects strung haphazardly together than a great prayer of thanksgiving such as we find in St. Basil or St. John Chrysostom.

But I do think it's comprehensive nature as an intercession suggests that it should not be entirely lost to Lutheranism, and that the most logical spot those intercessions in the Lutheran liturgy is the Prayer of the Church. Did not Zion do something similar with the intercessions or am I misremembering? As you know, our two most current books permit the pastor to formulate that prayer on his own (much like anciently the anaphora itself was improvised by the celebrant) and so the use of the intercessions from the Roman Canon at that point has become our practice, and since they are spoken aloud (unlike the traditional Roman practice) the people get to add their hearty "amen" to the prayer.